Medically Compromised-A Case for Medical Independence

By Kellene, Preparedness Pro on 13 April 2010 - 2:48pm

by Kellene

Medical supplies

As I’ve shared previously, preparedness is primarily about independence from vulnerabilities. After being on nearly a dozen medications regularly for years, I decided to take a closer look at my medical vulnerabilities as a whole in order that I might more fully understand what kind of a battle I’m engaged in—after all, bringing the most effective weapon to the battle is only possible if one knows their opponent well. After doing a great deal of research over the last year for the benefit of my own path towards medical independence, I’ve realized that I’ve essentially attempted to fight the battle with a lot of ammo and no firearm. While a mass of cartridge rounds may appear intimidating to most enemies, it’s downright laughable without the right tool to expend them. Nowadays, it’s my belief that by educating ourselves on just how truly

vulnerable we are medically, we can have a better drive and motivation towards taking care of ourselves as much as possible. I hope that you all may benefit from the last two years of focused research that you might be more medically independent in your life.

First of all, allow me to say that I firmly believe that our medical practitioners have an important and appropriate place in our society. The advances of modern medicine and the accompanying technology is absolutely amazing. For many, the only alternative to relying upon such advances would be certain death. That’s one side of the coin. However the other side of the coin is what I’m addressing today—the side which presumes there is no other alternative, responsibility, or accountability when it comes to our healthy independence.

Medical Well-Being

The focus of today’s article is an encouragement that you take more responsibility and accountability for your medical well-being. Part of that is being more aware of the person or entity that you empower to have influence over your health care. Here’s just some food for thought to being with. In spite of often being cited to the contrary, heart disease and cancer are not the number one killers in America. It’s actually medical malpractice. In fact there are a countless articles in the legal world which address this fact, yet you won’t see a medical organization ad that addresses this fact (just Google medical malpractice + cause of death).

Along that same vein, pay close attention to the entities which you give heed to. I’ve seen a lot of shocking things during my time in the world of high finance. I’m to the point now that nothing surprises me when it comes to following how money and power really pull the strings to many vital aspects of our survival.

Pharmaceutical recalls

Let’s take pharmaceuticals for example. How many drugs are you familiar with that have been originally approved by the FDA, only to have them pulled off of the shelf due to fatal consequences in their use? And yet the FDA approves them.

Have you taken time to research what causes the FDA to approve some drugs and not others? Why are some drugs approved in record time and not others (i.e. the H1N1 immunization shot)? With all of the medical advances in our world for treating cancer have you wondered why chemotherapy and radiation are STILL the only FDA approved treatments for cancer (vs. the successful Vitamin B-17 treatment that causes over 20,000 Americans to go leave the country to find B-17 treatments elsewhere)? If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they put any energy into approving preventative methods? I’m sorry to sound so negative folks, but the truth of the matter is, there isn’t much money in preventative health care. You can’t patent naturally existing minerals and vitamins, etc. If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they or the USDA actually have the power to shut down offending food, meat, or other plants who are repeat offenders? When it boils down to it, the FDA is driven by power and money. Where there is an absence of gain for the FDA, there is an absence of proactive motion. Worse than a lack of action, are the results OF their actions. Their seal of approval on products has become as questionable as Rosie O’Donnell endorsing health food. It’s unfortunate that the FDA has continually proven themselves to be wrong again and again. As such, they have not earned the respect in my world that merits them to have the final say over what I will and won’t put into my body. When it comes to medical practices, they focus solely on treatment, not prevention. This is the ONLY reason why they have not poked their nose into the market of natural remedies up until now—and the only reason why they are threatening to push into this field of oversight is because the treatment medical industry has taken a financial beating over the last 5 years to the tune of over $100 billion dollars! Yup. The treatment methods have powerful lobbying groups and they are making sure that the FDA essentially puts a stop—or at least a large stumbling block—to all of the mom and pop kind of homeopathic methods out there. That sad truth is that the FDA is influenced largely by power and money, not by the “conclusive studies.” I have found that time and time again the study of a drug tends to lean in the direction of the company that is paying for the study to be done. While I may sound like a broken record, folks, keep in mind that the FDA had their own doctors come right out and say that a cigarette a day would keep the doctor away, that AIDS was contagious by touching, and that the only acceptable way to treat cancer is a deadly chemical radiation. (See G. Edward Griffin’s book “A World Without Cancer”. It’s packed full of indisputable research, facts, and evidence.)

administering medicine

Along these same lines, the other large vulnerability we have exposed ourselves to is the rampant acceptance of pharmaceuticals. As one who struggles with clinical depression, obesity, and the ailment of insanity in the world around me (*grin*) I too think that life might me easier if it could just be fixed with a little pill each day. However, I’ve come to realize that our bodies are so absolutely amazing in how they were created and that if I just do more to encourage them to function properly, then I can avoid so many of the drugs out there. Pharmaceuticals are high-powered chemicals with real-life side affects. Can you believe that we now are told—with a straight face—that possible side effects of the drugs we take may result in “temporary paralysis, thoughts of suicide, liver failure, heart attack,” etc. etc. (By the way, if you haven’t seen Disney’s movie “Old Dogs”, you may want to. It’s nothing more than meaningless entertainment calories—light and fluffy. But there’s a hysterical scene in there about what happens when two guys get their litany of medicines mixed up due to the side-effects. I was cackling so hard, my cheeks and my gut hurt the next day). Due to the scenario in which the pharmaceutical companies test their subjects, most drugs are created much more potently than is necessary as well.

The majority of Americans run through their days dehydrated. Unfortunately, much of what we put in our bodies chemically is a drying agent, thus compounding the dehydration effects. However, if our bodies are well hydrated, then the effect of our medicines would be more obvious and thus we wouldn’t need to take as much. Water is necessary to cause the medication to be transported throughout our body. However, when the pharmaceutical industry goes through the testing of their drugs on human beings, they pay no attention whatsoever to the state of hydration in the body. The presence of water/hydration in the body compounds the effects of all nutrition—chemical or otherwise. Given that the majority of Americans are dehydrated, the medicines are made more powerful than necessary so that most patients can experience the desired chemical results of their medications. And yet there is a mountain of highly credible research to indicate that the symptoms of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, cancer, depression, ADHD, and diabetes would be dramatically lessened if the patient were to stay well hydrated. Wouldn’t it be interesting if you were to take a drug that has strict instructions that you not only take a full glass of water with it, but that you also drink plenty of water during the day in order for it to be helpful? Well, the drug industry wouldn’t sell as much medicine though if they spread that kind of doctrine though, would they? So, they create and dispense their drugs to the most common denominator—dehydrated bodies.

Medical Alternatives

I know that on my path over the last couple of years I have found so many alternatives to traditional medicine. Allow me to be clear. I don’t think that traditional medicine is evil, per se, I just think that it’s so widely accepted because there’s a seriously concerted effort to get us all to accept it as the answer. As an expert marketer, I can appreciate such a successful campaign. But the consequences are that most people do not search out alternative answers. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of folks who are willing to throw billions of dollars out the window to saturate the market with the message that there are less risky, less expensive, and more effective treatments for what ails us—that don’t require a doctor’s visit, health insurance, surgery, or pricey consults. Well, in my opinion, if you pick up one end of the stick of mainstream pharmaceuticals, then you also pick up the consequences: dependence, exorbitant expenses, follow-up doctor visits, physical side-effects which require yet more medications, etc, etc. These kinds of dependencies aren’t just bad in one area of your life. They have a negative impact on your areas of Physical, Financial, and Mental preparedness. What are you going to do if you suddenly do not have access to those drugs? What if there’s an earthquake or a long-term power outage? What if you you’re your insurance or your job and can’t pay for them any longer?

In the name of Physical Preparedness, I implore you all to do what you can to cut the apron strings attaching you to the smothering mother of Medical Dependence. No, I don’t recommend that anyone attempt to perform their own frontal lobotomy, but I’m 100% sure that there is a whole heck of a lot more that we can do for ourselves than what we are doing. I KNOW that there are several potent medications that would be a much larger part of my life if I let them. But I try to make sure that I proactively put some good things into my body daily. I’m not the epitome of health. I’m not saying that we all have to be perfect, but I am saying that we should all TRY perfectly. Yes, I have the indulgences of life frequently—trying to quit many of them—but in my effort at becoming more independent from vulnerabilities I won’t permit my day to go by without making sure my body is stocked up on the good things that I have easy access to. Quality vitamins and minerals that actually get absorbed into my body, WATER (at least ½ my body weight in ounces each day), good sleep, sprouts, flax seed (yummy in my yogurt) and other good sources of fiber such as wheat meat, whole grain bread, etc.—these are all a part of my daily proactive regime. I find that if I do enough of the proactive behaviors in my day, that I don’t have time or appetite for as many of the harmful actions. As some of you may know, I also take 2 tablespoons of food-grade diatomaceous earth each day and two teaspoons of Redmond Clay. I can assure you that there are at least 8 different aspects of my ill health yell loud and clear when I have omitted the proactive consumption of these products. But I’d much rather have those kinds of things in my body rather than “FDA approved” drugs and treatments and their accompanying side-effects. Wouldn’t you?

Just another step towards better preparedness folks. May you exercise all of the independence your body can handle.

Comments

On a slightly different note regarding medications, Kellene, so far I haven't found a reliable alternative for preventing migraines other than the medicine I've been on for about the past two years, nortriptylene, but I've been able to stock up more than a year's worth of medication so far (since the medication isn't a controlled substance). For what it's worth, I'd like to share a couple blog posts I made recently about what I've been doing medication-wise:

I was just wondering if there was a possibilty of alergic reaction to DE? I have had some good effects from taking it but have had one HUGE problem that to put it politely required some Preparation H. After missing the first dose I IMMEDIATELY had relief. Have you ever heard of such a thing???

I wouldn't say that I'm surprised by it. The more toxins, parasites, etc that you've got in you, the harder it is on you. This is why I admonish folks to start out with a teaspoon or two and then increase to the full two tablespoons. It works well, but it's a doozy on you if you've got a lot to clean out. I would definitely recommend scaling back if your body is responding in that way.

Yahoo!!! There is someone else that doesn't want to be a Pharmaceutical Junkie. I just had an experience of being overdosed with an Antidepresent. I,too, am a clinical depressive. I have taken St. John's Wort for years with good results and NO side effects. St. John's Wort works for me, but it doesn't work for everyone. My ex-Doctor prescribed another Antidepresent so I could get good sleep(I have fibromyalgia.). I had a brain crash for about 3 and half days. No fun! The kicker is my ex-Doctor and I had an argument about me taking this Antidepressent about 2 months ago and I told him what would happen (which it did) and I wouldn't take it. His reply " how can I help you get better if you won't take the meds I want to prescribe". My answer "how can I feel better if the meds you give me make me sick with their side effects". To make a long story Longer, I get to the pharmacy (they sent the script to the wrong pharmacy) I ask the pharmacist what the meds are, she tells me it is an antidepresent. I am very surprised. I tell her I am on St John's Wort. She ask if the Dr. knows I am taking it. Yes is my reply. The pharmist looks up the chemical compounds and they are the same as St. John's Wort so there shouldn't be any counter reaction. After I got my head working again. I looked up the prescription name in the Pill Book. It was the generic name for the Antidepressant the Dr was pushing 2 months before, that is the reason I didn't recognize the name or I wouldn't have taken it. So grasshoppers, listen. If you don't know what it is look it up. I am talking about pharmacitals, but also your herbs, minerals, vitamins and other supplements. The herbs, minerals, and vitamins were the original medicines of our world.

I Absolutely recognize what your position in this topic is. Although I should disagree on several of the smaller aspects, I think you did an awesome job explaining it. Sure beats needing to research it on my own. Thank you.

Thank you for addressing this touchy topic. While I do recognize the need for medical professionals, I am convinced that each individual and family will be better prepared by taking responsibility for our health and well being. What a blessing using wild crafted and easy to grow herbs and other natural nutrients in our diets, enjoying fresh air and exercise and releasing stress can be for us. All preparedness will be worth little if we don't have healthy life.

I was talking about this and I remember hearing how "Consumer Reports" gave a Do not Buy rating to a Lexus SUV yesterday and Toyota recalled it today. No government involvement at all. Just short quick and to the point. If only the folks in DC could move as fast. :)

Kellene,
A very good article, and very well researched, especially since you are a non-health care professional. As a health care professional, this is exactly why I am working on teaching others how to take responsibility for their own health care by looking at what they can change. Many things are so called "family" obtained. Even with that, lifestyle changes such as eating,exercise, and taking proper supplementation can be explored, and many people get off their medications (with physician's approval).
Thanks again for this timely article!

this is off topic, so you can reply to my email if that is better.....this may be a dumb question, but you have done many articles that I want to print and save in a binder or share with friends who are not on line, but when I print from you r site,I alway lose a few words on the right hand side...some sites have a "printer friendly" button, but I do not see one on yours. Is there an easy solution so that I can read your wonderful prep wisdom?? Thanks, D'Ann Davis

I have a friend who used to work for a drug company as a chemist. He said that they were always told the best drug is one that treats the symptoms to get relief and not to cure the problem. That is what is going on in most of our medical thought I'm afraid besides the goodies and $$ given to doctors to use their drugs.

Thanks for this article, Kellene. My 16yo daughter was just diagnosed last weekend with type 1 diabetes, and it's truly thrown our world upside down. I'm extremely grateful for modern medicine right now, as I know that she wouldn't live without it. But now I'm also incredibly frightened of what could happen if things got really bad and we didn't have access to insulin for her. I'm looking everywhere for answers. Have you ever done any research on this?

Kim it looks like insulin can be stored as long as the expiration date if kept in a cool dark area or a refrigerator.
dhs.wi.gov/rl_dsl/Publications/GudStrgInsulin.pdf
If you have a car or a generator you can keep the insulin cool in one of those little picnic fridge/cooler. There are also 12 volt (Solar) fridges as an option.
I to was diagnosed with a chronic disease. So I know it can be hard to adapt at first but believe in yourself and you will get through this challenge. Check out the internet the American Diabetes Association has a pretty good website www.diabetes.org

no all I did is give some basic info. but I really hate all the negativity. she may have been afraid well with good reason. But she needs good data not some BS. Trust me I tried to convince my mom I was in good hands did not work out so well. Mom was willing to rip the faces off folks cause her girl was sick. It don't matter if she's 6 or 36 it's my kid. Not rational but human.
Kim all I have given you is to stretch out the insulin. I don't know any way of substitution of insulin. I only gave some out of the box thinking. But if it works for 60-90 days who cares. I think we could see nasty but I think most hospitals may make it. I may be wrong but if you follow our guidelines you got at least 30-90 days if not more. We are trying to make stuff work. Ask your doctor?

I would like to suggest some very interesting reading on the subject of physical health at the Weston Price Foundation: http://www.westonaprice.org/

I am 49 years old, very healthy and fit, I ferment (with sea salt) much of my garden produce (which has the added benefit of not requiring electricity to store, especially since I grow so much), eat lots of all kinds of meat and liver, farm eggs (I am on a first-name basis with the chickens), raw butter, raw milk, and the cheese I make with the raw milk. I also take cod liver oil every day and often have bone broths that I make and can at home. I have never felt better in my life. I have no physical ailments at all, not even a hangnail. I take zero medications, I do yard work all day and ride my bike regularly to town. I have been living this way for the past 8 years, and the change from how I felt in my thirties is significantly for the better.
Every bit of the food described above is recommended and explained at that website. I also highly recommend the following books:

My cousin is a doctor and when I complain about some pains I feel, she doesn’t directly prescribe medicines for me. She said that our body can heal itself and that medicines only aid the healing process.

It's my belief that in many cases chemical medicines actually thwart the healing process and certainly complicate it elsewhere as noted by the litany of "side effects" warnings which accompany each medication prescribed today.

Hi Kellene! This is a very enlightening post. I have been taking anti-depressant and a whole lot of sleeping pills for the past three years and I'm afraid that it's taken its toll on my body. We really should be more careful in the medications we take. A prescribed medicine by the doctor doesn't necessarily mean that it's safe for you. We also need to do our own research and ask around.

"Hi Kellene! This is a very enlightening post. I have been taking anti-depressant and a whole lot of sleeping pills for the past three years and I’m afraid that it’s taken its toll on my body. "

Hi Kellene just want to ask aside from visiting your doctor and getting prescription drugs what else did you do to help yourself? You know some of this problems we're facing can be minimized by changing the way we live, eat and a change in environment.

There is MUCH that I'd like to share with you but I don't think it appropriate to do on the blog. So feel free to contact me directly via the "contact us" button and I can share with you some fantastic alternatives. It's done wonders for me and so many others!